Scrap Quilt
by Sarcasticles
Summary: It started with an hideous plaid shirt bought while temporarily insane, but the end result was so much more. Nakama-centric, with a little LuNa if you squint.


_I think I've gone sentimental._

Nami looked down at the cloth in her hand. Once part of a hideous plaid shirt that she bought while temporarily insane, the twelve inch square piece of material sat in a small wooden sewing hoop, ready for her to begin. Three practice attempts were safely in the trash where no one could see, and Nami was confident she had the skill to start her ambitious—albeit silly—project.

"I didn't know you could sew."

Nami jumped. Robin could be damn sneaky when she wanted to be. Even after all this time the archeologist caught her off guard every once in a while. Turning to face her friend, Nami shrugged. "Just enough to get by."

"Hmn." Robin looked over her shoulder. "What are you working on?"

Nami felt the tips of her ears redden. "Nothing, really. It's an experiment, I suppose."

"Oh?"

"I bought this terrible shirt. Sanji said it looked nice, but he's Sanji. I think I could dress like a whale and he'd still compliment on how stunning I looked." Nami made a face. "I'm obviously not going to be caught dead wearing it, but I didn't want to return it, because then I would have to admit I bought it in the first place, but if I didn't use it it's just a waste of money."

Nami realized she was rambling, but Robin just nodded and said, "I see."

"So I thought I'd recycle it, but I didn't know _how_. Then I passed some girls doing laundry at the last island we stopped. One of them was washing blankets, and it hit me: I could start a scrap quilt."

"You're making a quilt."

"Uh, yeah. I guess I am."

True to form, Robin seemed to accept the statement for what it was. She looked at the piece of material again. "So what's this?"

"Embroidery. It might not look the best, but…"

The ability to sew was an important skill for a poor family, and one that had served Nami well through the years. Memories of Bellemere teaching her and Nojiko as children swirled through her mind. She remembered how Bellemere transformed a sunflower into a lion in an attempt to make her like Nojiko's secondhand clothes. She remembered her mother promising they would regret it later if they didn't pay attention and practice.

But mostly she remembered how Bellemere always wore plaid.

Nami's fingers traced over the numbers she penciled onto the fabric. A date, to be precise, commemorating the day her life had changed forever. The stitches might not show up well against the pattern in the material, but that wasn't the point.

"I'm sure it will look just fine when it's finished."

Drawn from her thoughts, Nami gave Robin a small smile. "Thanks."

"Although last time I checked, we don't have a sewing machine," Robin said.

"I never claimed to have thought it all the way through," Nami said wryly. "Do you think Franky could make something that wouldn't set the whole thing on fire?"

"Most likely. What else where you planning to use for material? A single shirt isn't enough for a quilt."

"I was planning on raiding my closet to see what I don't wear anymore."

"I see." Robin went over to their shared closet. She poked around for a moment, before letting out a soft gasp of surprise.

"What is it?" Nami asked.

"I didn't realize you kept this." Robin pulled out the yellow shirt she had worn in Skypea. Nami bought it during the crew's last days in Alabasta, and Robin borrowed out of necessary during their first days traveling together. It was burnt in some places and fraying horribly in others, obviously unwearable, but parts could be salvaged.

"Oh yeah. I was going to have you pay me back for ruining my shirt, I suppose with everything that happened I forgot." Nami shrugged. "Throw it on the pile if you want."

"Forgetting a debt? You?" Robin asked the question in her usual good humor, but her smile faded. She looked at the shirt for a while, tracing a scorch mark absentmindedly. The adventure on the island in the sky marked a turning point for her. Searching for the lost gold, camping under the open sky, being struck by lighting and then subsequently defended by the most untrusting member of the crew…Skypea anchored Robin to the Straw Hat Pirates.

Using her Devil Fruit to carry over Nami's scissors and pencil she asked, "How big are you cutting your blocks?"

"I didn't know you could sew," Nami said playfully.

Robin's expression closed. "At home it was my job to do the mending. I learned."

She didn't elaborate, and Nami didn't ask. Robin rarely talked about her past, especially her childhood prior to being labeled the Demon Child. Nami could respect that. After a beat of awkward silence the navigator explained her plan, and after taking a few minutes of hashing out the details, the archeologist began cutting.

In the end, they could only make one block out of the yellow shirt. It clashed horribly with the plaid in the embroidery hoop. Nami held up the pieces for comparison and sighed.

As if Robin could read her mind, she said, "The wonderful thing about scrap quilts is that it isn't supposed to match. If you alternate your blocks with a neutral color, then the end result won't be so…loud."

"You mean tacky." Nami looked up at Robin and arched an eyebrow. "I'm surprised at you. Knowing your hobbies, I never would have thought you knew so much about the domestic sciences."

Robin chuckled quietly. "I don't, really. But I did hide in a material shop once to avoid being captured by the marines. You'd be surprised what you can learn in an afternoon. Did you know that there was a time when noblewomen would hide secret messages in their needlework? In fact, there's a legend of an emperor's wife foiling a murder plot by intercepting a gift of lace sent to a conspirator."

"Ah, history and assassination. That's more like it," Nami said with a smirk.

"I didn't know you could sew."

Nami shrieked, jumping towards the unexpected voice. Usopp leaned in the doorway of the woman's quarters, rubbing his long nose. He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Usopp said.

"What the hell?!" Nami exclaimed. "This room is off limits to anyone with a Y-chromosome!"

He put his hands up defensively. "Hey, the door was open. It's not my fault I could see what you guys are doing and got curious. By the way, what _are_ you guys doing?"

"Making a quilt," Robin said, placing a calming hand on Nami's shoulder before she could begin yelling.

"Really? Can I see?"

"There isn't much _to_ see," Nami said, holding up the yellow square of material. "Just cutting up old clothes."

"That's still neat," Usopp said, coming in uninvited. He peered over their work thus far and nodded. "Do you have any backing yet?"

"No, I figured I'd pick something up the next time we dock."

"Hmm…" Usopp snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea. I'll be right back." Quick as a flash he was gone from the woman's quarters. Nami and Robin looked at each other and shrugged. There was no knowing what hair-brained idea he had running through his head.

Usopp didn't keep them in suspense for long, returning shortly with an armful of scarlet cloth. Sprouting a few extra hands, Robin cleared a space for him on their work table. With a grunt of appreciation, he laid down his burden, before dusting off his hands.

"That, my dear friend, can be you backing," he said magnanimously. "Not only is it a most spectacular shade of red, it'll save you a couple of bucks down the road."

Nami touched the material skeptically. It was heavy and durable, like it was supposed to be used for curtains or furniture instead of clothes. Using it would most definitely require a sewing machine. "Where on earth did you get this?" she asked.

A blush the same shade as the material crept up his neck and flushed through his cheeks. "Um, well, you see…"

"It's Sogeking's isn't it?" Robin asked quietly. "His mantle?"

Nami looked at Usopp in disbelief. "You actually kept that?"

"Hey! He gave that to me! As a…um…parting gift. Yeah. Something to remember him by."

"And you're willing to have it turned into part of a quilt?" Nami asked.

"Well, I guess so," Usopp said, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, eight-thousand man army aside, I'm not exactly the hero type. At least this way it'll go to good use. I've just kept it stuffed under my clothes pile for the last couple of months."

"And this isn't just some backwards attempt to reduce your debt?" Nami asked, eyes narrowing.

"No! Although, it would be kinda nice…"

"As kind as the gesture is," Robin interjected smoothly, "I'm not sure it's large enough."

"Oh, it definitely is for a twin sized bed," Usopp said. "I…I mean _Sogeking_ made sure it was plenty big. For extra billow, you know."

"I see," Robin said, smile twinkling in her eyes.

"And even if it isn't a standard size, you could always turn it into a lap quilt. There'd probably be enough left over for a matching pillow or something, if that's what you're going for," Usopp said.

"That…might actually work," Robin said, eyeing the red material.

"Of course it'll work! I'm the greatest quilter that ever was. Why, when I was but a lad, I entered the island-wide competition and won the grand prize."

"I didn't know you could sew," Robin said, patiently humoring him in a way Nami could never hope to replicate.

Usopp fidgeted. "Well, yeah. A little. After Mom…I've been living by myself for a while. You figure things out."

Nami turned away and rubbed her temples. She meant this project to be simple. Why was nothing with the Straw Hats ever simple? Opening her eyes, she noticed that for the second time today there was someone standing in her doorway.

Well, attempting to hide in her doorway. Chopper never could figure out which way his body was supposed to go.

"You're backwards, Chopper," Nami said with an exasperated sigh. "I can see you."

The little reindeer yelped and attempted to correct himself. The end result wasn't any stealthier than before, and Nami resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Did you need something?"

"No!" he squeaked, voice a full octave higher than normal. "I was just curious."

"Come on in. We're just arguing the pros and cons of using drapery on a quilt."

"It's not drapery!" Usopp snapped. "This is a _cape_ , thank you very much! One worn by a bona fide hero!"

"Ooh, can I see?" Chopper asked, running towards them without waiting for an answer. Standing on the tip of his hooves he peered over the edge of the table. "Hey, that's Sogeking's!"

"See, even Chopper recognizes it!"

"Oh for the love of…" Deciding it was best to pretend Usopp hadn't said anything, Nami turned her attention to the reindeer. "I'm trying to make a scrap quilt so I get rid of some old clothes, that's all. It's nothing special."

"Can I help?" Chopper asked, looking up at Nami with wide, innocent eyes. The effect was so devastating that she almost said yes before she caught herself. Puppies and kittens couldn't hold a candle to Chopper when he wanted to be cute.

"This isn't the same as giving someone stitches," Nami said.

"I know! I still want to help! I haven't sewn anything besides Zoro in _forever_."

"I didn't know you could sew," Usopp said. "I mean, of course you can for surgery, but I didn't know you could with cloth and stuff."

"Sure I can sew," Chopper said. "Doctorine taught me to help with my dexterity. Fingers and hooves aren't the same, you know, and a doctor needs to have steady hands. I can prove it, too." Chopper transformed into his fully human state and picked up the scissors. "Just show me what to cut!"

"I don't have anything right now," Nami said. "I'm still trying to decide what old clothes I need to get rid of."

"Did somebody say old clothes?"

Nami turned to her doorway to see Brook standing there. The musician was holding a cup of tea in one hand and had his violin tucked under the other. He took a small sip and waited patiently for an answer, the picture of a perfect gentleman.

"I really need to learn how to shut that door," Nami mumbled to herself. To Brook she said, "It's nothing important."

"Yeah right!" Chopper exclaimed, shifting back into his hybrid form. "Nami's starting this really awesome quilt, and she needs more clothes so I can prove I'm good enough to help."

"Yohoho, if it's clothes you need, I have plenty of old suits from my time on Thriller Bark. Should I fetch them?"

Nami looked at Robin helplessly, but the archeologist only gave one of her most infuriatingly calm smiles in return. "Do you know how to sew?" Nami asked cautiously.

"Oh, good heavens no. My one attempt resulted with a bloodstain on the material. Although, since I no longer have any blood that shouldn't be a problem, yohohoho!" Brook chuckled at the memory. "But lack of skill aside, I would like to help, if that is all right with you."

Everyone present looked to Nami for her verdict. It wasn't that she _didn't_ want the skeleton's help, but this was supposed to be a personal project, something to remember her mother by. When she looked at Brook there was a silent hopefulness, as if he truly desired nothing more than to participate in a crew activity. Something that felt suspiciously like guilt nagged at her, and Nami found that she couldn't say no.

"Ugh, fine. But I don't want anything with mildew on it!"

Brook's skull lit up with pure joy. "I wouldn't think of such a thing! I shall go find something to contribute this very instant!

He dashed off with nearly supernatural speed. Robin watched with amusement before turning to Nami. "Perhaps we should move things elsewhere. We'll need more room if this many people are going to participate."

"Yeah, you're right," Nami said. Clearing her voice, she shouted over the growing noise. "Okay guys, we're moving to the library for now. Maybe then we'll have enough space to breathe."

"The library?" Usopp asked. "Why not above deck?"

"Because I don't want the wind to take our material or for everything to get soaked we get caught in a freak storm." She cut off his look of protest with glare. "And because I said so. Now let's get moving! Quilts don't make themselves."

"Aye aye, Captain," Usopp said dryly, gathering up his cape. "Chopper, help me fold this."

Chopper obliged him, giddy smile still firmly in place. "Don't be upset, Usopp. It'll be fun."

* * *

"You have a very strange definition of fun."

The five of them were sitting in the library sorting clothes. Brook had contributed a surprisingly nice navy blue cravat as well as a few dress shirts he had not worn since coming back to life, the most memorable being a shade of orange so bright it threatened to blind anyone who looked at it too long.

"An accent color?" Robin offered.

"Why not," Nami said. "Go ahead and throw it on the pile."

It didn't take long for all the commotion to attract Sanji. In fact, Nami suspected the only reason he had not checked on them earlier was that she had once threatened to steal all his cigarettes till the end of time if she caught him loitering near the woman's quarters.

"Nami dearest," Sanji said, confusion flickering across his face before he could catch himself. "What in the world is going on? If these shitheads are causing you any trouble…"

"Quite the contrary, Mr. Sanji," Brook said. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, wielding a pair of scissors under Usopp's careful supervision. "We are making a quilt! In fact, I was just thinking that if we added Miss Nami's and Miss Robin's panties to the collection—ow! What was that for?" he asked Usopp.

"I'm saving your skin," Usopp said.

"But I have none!"

Nami closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, letting it out slowly as she counted backwards from ten. When she looked back up at Sanji, she barely felt the desire to throttle the skeleton who technically didn't have a windpipe.

"A quilt?" Sanji asked.

"To get rid of old clothes," Nami explained.

"I…see," he said, although his face suggested otherwise. "Would you like me to bring you a snack? Perhaps some sandwiches to help keep your energy up without the risk of staining your material. Not that someone with your grace would ever spill, but…" Sanji's gaze flickered to where Brook and Chopper were rolling on the ground in laughter.

"That would be amazing," Nami said, genuinely grateful. "And if you see Franky, could you send him in, please?"

"Did someone say Franky?" The cyborg exclaimed, entering the library. "I'm feeling especially super this week _, yow,_ and ready to take on whatever challenge Nami-sis gives!"

Franky posed. Then he danced. Then he began to pose and dance at the same time, and Nami wanted to douse her eyes with bleach. Luckily Sanji picked up on her distress, and the spectacle was cut short with a well-paced kick to the head.

Nami knew she kept him around for a reason.

"We'll need a sewing machine," Nami said. "I know it's outside your area of expertise, but I was wondering if maybe you could make one from scratch. I completely understand if you can't, but it would be ever so helpful…"

"Can't? Nami-sis, are you suggesting that there's a machine beyond my _super_ skill?" Franky asked, crossing his massive arms across his chest.

"Oh, no, I would never imply such a thing! It's just that a sewing machine is more…feminine than your usual projects."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" Robin murmured.

"You hush," Nami said, unable to keep a smirk from her face. Turning her attention back to Franky, she shook her head dramatically. "I don't know if you could restrain yourself."

"Listen here, sister, I'll make you the best damn sewing machine on the planet. Your stitches will be perfect, and that quilt will be _super_ or my name isn't Franky!" The cyborg drew himself up to full height and offered Nami a roguish grin. "Hell, I'll even throw in one of my shirts as a bonus."

"No explosions," Nami said.

"None."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "No extra features."

"Nami-sis, you offered me a challenge, and my pride as a man demands that I take it. You'll get your sewing machine, and you'll love it."

* * *

Nami had been careful to start her quilt while Luffy was on watch duty, knowing that would be the one time she wouldn't have to put her full attention into making sure her captain didn't accidently sink the ship. Luffy took his watches very seriously—as serious as was possible for him, anyway—always on the lookout for a new adventure. And unlike the _Going Merry_ , Zoro was able to keep his weights in the crow's nest of the _Sunny_ , guaranteeing that there was _someone_ keeping an eye on him at all times.

So for a few hours at least, Nami was able to settle into the task at hand without interference from Luffy. With nearly half the crew helping, it wasn't long before all their blocks were cut. After coming back with a snack, Sanji stayed and helped arrange them into a pattern, showing himself to have a good eye for matching colors in the process.

It was fun, and Nami was glad that she allowed the others to help. In retrospect she realized that it was silly of her to think she could have hidden her project for long, and it was the nature of this crew to help one another.

"It's looking pretty good, if I do say so myself," Usopp said proudly. "Of course, that's hardly a surprise since I was here to direct things. Did I tell you about the time I won a quilting competition when I was six? I was up against a guild master and everything, which wouldn't have been too bad except for the bear attack while I was questing for the final part of the golden loom…"

"Alright, it looks like we're ready to pin," Nami interrupted. "I think that's enough work for today. Chopper, don't you have watch soon?"

"Is it that time already?" Chopper asked, blinking in surprise. "It seems like we just got started."

"I believe it is, Mr. Chopper. I'm starting to go cross-eyed, and I don't even have eyes! Skull joke, yohohoho!"

"Yeah, I should probably get back to the kitchen before Luffy comes looking for food," Sanji said. He swept up the sandwich plates in a single motion and let out a love struck sigh. "Ah, an afternoon helping Nami-dearest making a quilt. I can't imagine a better way to spend the day."

"That's because you're a moron," Zoro said from the library entrance.

"What was that, Moss-for-brains?" Sanji growled.

"Boys, now is not the time," Nami said, a note of warning in her voice. Looking over Zoro's shoulder, she asked, "Where's Luffy? You didn't leave him alone, did you? Please don't tell me you left him alone."

There was a crash, followed by the pealing laughter of her idiot captain. Nami felt her eye twitch as she glared at the swordsman.

"Whatever just happened, it's your fault," Nami said, voice deceptively calm. "Consider your debt raised by three hundred percent."

"What?!" Zoro exclaimed as Sanji howled with laughter. "You…you _witch_! You can't do that!"

"I can and I will. Unless…" Nami allowed the sentence to trail off and shrugged her shoulders. "Never mind, forget it."

"What? What's going through your deranged skull?"

Nami smirked. She had him, hook, line, and sinker. Reaching around Usopp, she grabbed a can filled to the brim with safety pins. "If you pin all my blocks I'll let this transgression slide. It shouldn't take Franky too long to make something as simple as a sewing machine, and I can finish the embroidery I want to do tonight."

"Pin blocks? Embroidery? _Sewing machine_?" Zoro asked, a look of absolute bewilderment on his face. "Woman, I don't know what you're talking about, but if you think you can bribe me for something that's not my fault, you're _wrong_."

"Your choice, but just so you know I'm garnishing what you owe me out of your share of the treasure. Besides," Nami added with a wicked glint in her eye, "all you have to do is stab something with a pointy object. That's right up your alley."

Zoro's face turned a shade of purple that clashed horribly with his hair as Luffy burst into the room. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates surveyed the library with a perplex expression, before a wide grin slowly spread across his face.

"Is this a new mystery game? Ooh, I wanna play!"

Luffy stretched his arm to where Brook was still sitting and grabbed a pair of scissors. It was all Nami could do to keep him from cutting all her hard work into ribbons as—in true Straw Hat fashion—the world descended into madness.

* * *

"Dammit, Luffy, you can't sew!"

Luffy's shoulders drooped and he stuck out his lower lip. "I dunno why not. Everyone else gets to."

" _I_ don't see why you're complaining," Zoro grumbled. He handed Nami two square blocks held together on one side by two straight pins. "There. Is that right?"

Nami looked up from the sewing machine that Franky managed to put together in less than a day. For such expediency, she was willing to overlook the flame decal stickers. The "turbo mode" on the other hand…Nami was lucky she hadn't sewn her fingers together.

"No!" she exclaimed. "For the thousandth time, you put the backs together so the seam will be on the inside!"

"This doesn't make any damn sense!" Zoro said as he tore the pins out wrathfully. "I could be training now instead of wasting my time _pinning_."

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed. "Back at home even little girls knew how to sew. Zoro's dumber than a little girl!"

"Like you could do any better!" Zoro snapped. He thrust the material at Nami. "Here! Am I done now?"

As fun as it was to torture the swordsman, Nami could tell he was getting genuinely frustrated, and by extension was no longer fun to tease. Besides, it would be faster to do it herself. Zoro had endured his punishment, and the quilt top was starting to come together.

As far as patterns went, it was as easy as they came. Using the dimensions of Usopp's "cape" as a base, it was decided that five rows of four squares would be used. The entire crew ended up donating clothing, and Nami was sure that not one of her twenty blocks matched.

But diverse colors and materials fit the nature of the crew, and somehow all the crazy melded together into a coherent whole.

"Yes, you're done. Thank you for your participation," Nami simpered.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you gave me any choice!" Zoro said, flustered by her tone. "Witch!"

"I wanna participate," Luffy whined.

"No! I'm not going to let you ruin this," Nami said.

"I don't see why you care," Zoro said. "You're just getting rid of old clothes, right? It doesn't matter what it looks like."

"It's the principle of the thing!"

"Liar," Zoro drawled, deftly dodging her attempts to smack him. With a wave to Luffy he sauntered out of the library. "Later. I'm going to train."

Nami fumed and Luffy pouted. Damn that infuriating swordsman insinuating that she had an ulterior motive for denying Luffy's request when such a thing didn't exist! Luffy was a disaster when it came to anything except fighting, and he _would_ ruin the quilt.

Then again, she had let the others help, and some of them were just as hopeless. She had even forced Zoro to pin for no reason except that it was hilarious to see the mighty swordsman struggle with something so mundane.

Damn. She really had no reason to tell Luffy no except her own selfishness, did she?

"You can help me tie," Nami said finally, rubbing her forehead.

"Tie?" Luffy asked dumbly.

"Yeah. It's faster than quilting, and will probably look better because none of us has a lot of experience sewing."

"Wait…you're not going to quilt your quilt? I'm confused," Luffy said.

She patted him on the shoulder. At least he was self-aware. "I'll show you once I get the quilt top done. Now shoo, I've got work to do."

* * *

It took a couple of days to make good on her promise. Weather on the Grand Line was unpredictable and the marines were annoying, and between the two there wasn't a lot of time to work on her project. Every once in a while Nami would see one of her crewmates go over to where she had the sewing machine set up to look at her progress, only to leave with contented little smiles on their faces.

But eventually the top was finished. Luffy happened to walk into the library as she was laying the backing, batting, and quilt top on the floor. She took extra pains to make sure that each layer of the quilt was flat with no bumps or wrinkles, while also making sure not to warp the material.

"Hand me the tape, will you?" Nami asked, pointing to where she had set it earlier.

Luffy tilted his head, but did as he was told. "Is it my turn yet?"

"No."

Nami taped the three layers to the floor and surveyed her handiwork. Nodding to herself, she grabbed her tin can of safety pins and pinned her quilt, working from the center to the boarders. Luffy waited in silence for maybe ten minutes—a personal best—before he tapped his foot.

"How 'bout now?"

"Not yet."

He waited in silence until she finished, although by the end he was almost eating his own lips in the effort to remain quiet. When she was done, Nami removed the tape and carried the quilt to a table where it would be more comfortable to work.

"Nami?"

"Just wait. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

She went to the woman's quarters and returned with a large roll of yarn and a box where she kept her needles. Nami arranged the quilt how she wanted it and threaded her needle with a long string of yarn. Luffy watched the entire time, his eyes wide as saucers, as if she were doing something incredible instead of a relatively simple task.

"Watch me carefully," Nami said. He nodded emphatically and peered in closer as she pierced her needle through the center of the square made from a pair of Chopper's shorts. Leaving a tail about three inches long, Nami then brought the needle back up about a quarter of an inch from where she started. After reinforcing her stitch, she cut the thread and tied it into a square knot. Looking up at Luffy, she raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think you can handle that?"

"Y-yeah!"

She smiled and handed him the threaded needle. "Then knock yourself out. I'll start on the other side, and the last one finished has to pay fifty berries."

Pure, childlike laughter bubbled out of her captain, and he tore into the task with great enthusiasm. Probably _too much_ enthusiasm, Nami noted as she threaded a second needle, but she had no one to blame but herself.

And, despite it all, Nami couldn't help but laugh as well.

* * *

"You're still working on that?"

Nami rubbed her eyes and looked up at Robin. The archeologist had just finished her watch and was probably looking for some late-night reading before she went to sleep. Shrugging the quilt to a more comfortable position on her lap, Nami resumed her task.

"Luffy's knots are too lose. I have to redo them, or it'll all fall apart," she explained as her tiny sewing scissors clipped another piece of yarn. "I have no idea how he did it either, because they're too much of a mess to actually untie."

"You don't have to fix it now," Robin said.

"If I do it during the day Luffy will see. He tried so hard to help, it would crush him."

"Ah," Robin said knowingly, faint smile dancing on her lips.

"Don't _ah_ me," Nami snapped. "I just don't want to hear him whine for the next week and a half, that's all."

"Of course." Robin grabbed a book off of the shelf and left without another word.

* * *

It was another week before Nami could finish the binding, not because it was difficult, but because she was _busy_. But finally it was finished, and the crew gathered around together to admire their handiwork. The blanket wasn't a standard size, somewhere between a twin and a lap quilt, and contained every color under the sun. The heavy backing ensured it was durable and warm, and though it was obviously the work of a bunch of amateurs, Nami's heart swelled with pride. She fingered the embroidered date, the day Luffy destroyed Arlong Park and liberated Cocoyashi, and smiled.

"It's lovely, Miss Nami," Brook said. "Certainly enough to keep the chill out of your bones on a cold night."

"Ooh, look at this one! That's the piece of Zoro's haramaki I cut out!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Y-you did _what_?!" the swordsman exclaimed.

"Looks super, sis," Franky said, giving Nami a thumbs up. "Told ya I could do it!"

"Shishishi! I helped!"

"It couldn't have happened if not for my expertise. I did tell you that I won that quilting competition when I was one and a half…"

"Ah, my Nami-dearest is as talented as she is beautiful…"

The crew's voices began to blend together, and Nami looked at Robin helplessly. The older woman only shrugged and offered a smile. "It does look very nice."

Nami let out an exasperated huff. "Guys, wait, settle down. Do you honestly think I'm going to be keeping this all to myself?" she asked.

She was met with seven pairs of blank stares and one quirked eyebrow from Robin. Nami rolled her eyes.

"The whole crew worked really hard to get this finished, and we did it much faster than I could have done alone. It's only fair that everyone gets to use it." _Plus,_ she thought as she looked at the square of eye-smarting orange that somehow made into the quilt, _there's no way in hell that's going anywhere near my bed._

In the end, the quilt was kept in a chest in the galley with other emergency supplies. Every once in a while on a cold night, whoever had watch would dig it out and be comforted by the warmth it offered. Then one day Luffy declared an impromptu picnic, and it was discovered that it made a fine dining cloth. Once Nami even saw Zoro snuggling with the blanket during his afternoon nap.

Over time it gathered its fair share of rips and tears, and each time Nami would lovingly repair them. The quilt survived the crew's two year separation and the decent ten thousand meters under the sea. It grew dingy and worn, but no matter what happened Nami never could bring herself to throw it away.

There was a piece of each of the Straw Hat Pirates in that old scrap quilt, a memory hidden in each stitch. No matter what crazy situations they got into or how angry her crew made her, every time Nami looked at that quilt she was reminded what this journey was all about.

It started with an hideous plaid shirt bought while temporarily insane, but the end was so much more.

And, wherever she was, Nami thinks Bellemere would approve.


End file.
